Present franking machines include, in known manner, first means for printing a postage rate and second, retractable means for printing unchanging information, such as an advertizing slogan, for example, with said first and second means being comprised within a rotary drum print head. The head is also fitted with a control lever linked to said second print means for retracting them or for extending them. The control lever is mounted at the end of the head so as to be accessible. It is manually operable between a first position in which said second means are retracted and the print head only prints postage data, and a second position in which said second print means are not retracted and in which the print head prints both postage data and the advertizing slogan, one after the other.
Such one-part or two-part printing is performed either directly onto envelopes or else onto labels which are long or short depending on the amount of printing they are to receive. After printing, the labels are stuck onto parcels and other packets. In such franking machines, the print head and an associated backing roll or platen are mounted so that the items to be printed on pass between them, i.e. so that said labels or envelopes driven by a transport mechanism pass between them. The labels are delivered by an automatic label dispenser provided in the franking machine.
In automatic label dispensers, labels are advantageously taken on request from a continuous franking label tape stock which is cut to the desired label length. The tape is driven intermittently in response to an externally applied control signal to cut off a first or a second length of tape depending on whether a further externally applied control signal is requesting short label selection or long label selection. With such franking machines, the operator who positions the one-part or two-part printing control lever for the print head must also ensure that the appropriate label selection control signal is applied, and must consequently also position a control lever provided for this purpose.
Preferred implementations of the present invention provide reliable means for selecting short or long labels from a label dispenser in a franking machine, and for preventing the franking machine from being supplied with short labels when it is performing two-part printing, since a portion of the two-part printing would otherwise be applied to the backing roll.